Water Vole Reintroduction

The once common water vole (Arvicola amphibius) is believed to have suffered a range decline in excess of 97% throughout its former British range. Although population estimates in 2002 indicated a surviving population of 1.2 million it is a rapidly declining species and current figures suggest a national breeding population of around 400,000 individuals. They are currently believed to be Britain’s fastest declining mammal.

Westland Countryside Stewards are at the forefront of the reintroduction of the endangered water vole to the Bude river catchment and bringing them back to Cornwall, where they were believed to be completely extinct.

Introduction

A brief introduction to the water vole reintroduction project and the aim to restore a complete water vole breeding population in Cornwall read more

Phase 1: First water voles released (June 2013)

Phase 2: Supporting release water voles (September 2013)

Phase 3: Programme of events (2014)

Water vole surveying was carried out and we held an information talk on water voles and our project. Two more releases brought the total number of water voles released in the Bude catchment to 550. read more